South Africa have named a provisional 48-man squad for their September World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria – www.isagoal.com reports.
According to Premium Times, Hugo Broos opted for a mix of seasoned internationals and young prospects as Bafana Bafana aim to tighten their grip on Group C.
The squad will first travel to the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein to face Lesotho on 5 September.
Four days later, the same venue will stage a high-stakes battle with Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
Broos described his squad choice as a careful balance.
Mamelodi Sundowns dominate the call-ups, led by captain Ronwen Williams alongside Khuliso Mudau, Thapelo Morena, Teboho Mokoena, Bathusi Aubaas and Aubrey Modiba.
Orlando Pirates also feature strongly with Evidence Makgopa, Patrick Maswanganyi, Nkosinathi Sibisi and Themba Zwane all included.
The attack receives a boost with Burnley forward Lyle Foster returning and Minnesota United’s Bongokuhle Hlongwane joining the frontline.
Luke Le Roux of Portsmouth and Siyabonga Ngezana from Romanian side FCSB bring valuable European experience.
Cyprus-based winger Mihlali Mayambela is also in the squad, adding depth to the wide options.
The clash with Nigeria is expected to be fierce given the historic rivalry between both nations.
While the Super Eagles have often had the edge, Bafana Bafana have held their ground in recent meetings.
South Africa currently lead Group C with 13 points after six matches, having won four, drawn one, and lost one.
They have scored 10 goals and conceded just five.
Rwanda and Benin follow with eight points each, while Nigeria are close behind on seven.
Lesotho have six points, and Zimbabwe sit bottom with four.
However, South Africa’s standing is under review after claims they fielded an ineligible player in their 2-0 win over Lesotho.
Midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who was suspended after two yellow cards, featured for 82 minutes in that game.
FIFA rules state clearly that two yellow cards in separate matches lead to a one-game suspension.
If confirmed, South Africa could be docked three points, which would instead be awarded to Lesotho.
Such a sanction would reshape the group, dropping South Africa to 10 points and lifting Lesotho to eight.
That would put Nigeria firmly back in contention for the automatic qualification spot.
The situation recalls Nigeria’s own penalty in the 2018 qualifiers when they lost three points for fielding Shehu Abdullahi against Algeria.
Although that did not stop Nigeria from qualifying, it underlined how damaging administrative errors can be.
Broos is expected to cut his squad down to 23 players as the decisive matches approach.
With South Africa under pressure and Nigeria chasing the leaders, the September double-header promises to be a turning point in Group C.
This article was updated 1 hour ago